'Pokémon GO' news: gym training and battle gameplay mechanics will change with new update

There are a number of changes that developer Niantic Labs will improve on its augmented reality title "Pokémon GO," including gym training.

In a blog post, the developer has announced that with an upcoming update, the gym training battles for "Pokémon GO" trainers will now have six Pokémon per battle. Previously, training battles only allow one Pokémon per trainer for a true 1-on-1 battle.

Meanwhile, aside from adding to the numbers of Pokémon battles, Niantic Labs also made some adjustments in the in-game battles themselves. The announcement confirms, "In addition, the CP of the Pokémon you are training against may be temporarily adjusted lower during your training session to generally match your Pokémon's battle capabilities." This means that even if the trainer picks the top Pokémon in the list, there are high chances that the auto balance feature when in gym training will lower the Pokémon levels, to match the 6 Pokémon for the other trainer.

Meanwhile, aside from adjusting the gym training battles' gameplay and features, Niantic Labs also reveals that update changes will also be made in the catching feature of the game. The new feature will allow capture bonuses to add to the catch percentage in trying to find Pokémon within vicinities. The catch bonuses will depend on the stats and medals that the trainer has. The post confirms, "These new bonuses will give you a better chance of capturing Pokémon with a related type. For example, as you reach a higher tier for the Kindler Medal, your bonus to catch Fire-type Pokémon such as Charmander, Vulpix and Ponyta increases."

Niantic Labs has yet to come out with specific rollout dates for the upcoming updates, although it is expected that the patches will come out soon. It is already revealed that Niantic Labs will be making some in-between updates before the major rollout of "Pokémon GO 2.0," ostensibly adding second-gen Pokémon, as well as major updates, to the roster.

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